Step Behind The Stage
Sunny Afternoon
Alexandra Palace Theatre, London - 17/01/26
Review by Daniel Marshall
Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan
Joe Penhall's biographical jukebox musical, Sunny Afternoon, tells the story of The Kinks and has returned on a UK tour twelve years after first debuting at Hampstead Theatre, later winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical during its West End run.
The show is currently at Alexandra Palace Theatre, a venue steeped in British rock history. With so many era-defining artists having performed there, including The Kinks themselves, the Palace feels like the perfect backdrop for a story about one of Britain’s most influential bands.
At the centre of the production are the Davies brothers, Ray and Dave, whose music and inner tensions drive both sound and narrative. Danny Horn’s Ray is a troubled musical visionary, delivering a performance full of vulnerability, intensity, and creative fire, while Oliver Hoare’s ‘Dave the Rave’ captures the volatile energy of the band’s guitarist with electrifying commitment. They are joined by Harry Curley as bassist Pete Quaife and Zakarie Stokes as drummer Mick Avory, who bring warmth and charm that balance the tumultuous nature of the Davies brothers, making their bond feel genuinely lived-in.
Before the band fully forms, the show opens with The Ravens, fronted by Joseph Richardson’s charismatic Robert Wace. A vibrant ensemble spills into the aisles, immediately breaking the barrier between stage and audience, a motif that continues throughout the night. Tam Williams’ amusing portrayal of Grenville Collins convinces Wace to step back and co-manage the group, setting the stage for The Kinks’ formation.
Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan
From there, a career-defining soundtrack of hits carries a narrative that charts the highs and lows of the band’s first decade. We follow their breakthrough, fraught attempt to crack America, and evolution into global stardom, concluding in the early seventies with the release of the iconic single ‘Lola’. The music is cleverly integrated, at times driving the plot and deepening characterisation, elsewhere serving as cultural timestamps. Songs like ‘You Really Got Me’ and ‘All Day and All of the Night’ deliver raw rock energy, while others lean into theatricality, such as a harmonised a cappella rendition of ‘Days’.
The wider ensemble also shapes the world of the show, seamlessly shifting between characters, dancers, and musicians, keeping the stage alive with movement and texture. Lisa Wright stands out for her portrayal of Rasa, tracing a journey from young love and early motherhood to life beside a global rock star and ultimately finding her own place within the band’s world. Wright captures this arc with sincerity and strength, grounding the chaos of fame in something deeply human.
You don’t need to be a die-hard Kinks fan to enjoy Sunny Afternoon. The music is infectious, the performances committed, and the emotional core—creativity, family, ambition, and the cost of success—is universal. It feels less like a standard jukebox musical and more like a love letter to a defining era of British music, delivered with heart, grit, and charm.
Cast on the Night:
Danny Horn – Ray Davies
Oliver Hoare – Dave Davies
Zakarie Stokes – Mick Avory
Harry Curley – Pete Quaife
Victoria Anderson – Gwen / Dance Captain
Ben Caplan – Eddie Kassner
James Chisholm – Gregory Piven
Phil Corbitt – Mr. Davies / Allen Klein
Alasdair Craig – Larry Page
Sorrel Jordan – Mrs. Davies
Jada Langley – Joyce
Joseph Richardson – Robert Wace
Tam Williams – Grenville Collins
Emily Whitby-Samways – Peggy
Lisa Wright – Rasa